How to... add wall stripes

For many people, simply painting a wall can be a daunting task - not to mention painting stripes! While striped paint is certainly great looking, the average person would probably have to ask a professional to follow through with the actual process. Here is how you can paint your wall with stripes without any decorative disasters.

Step 1: Pick your stripes

Do you want your room to look more spacious or do you want the ceiling to appear higher? The first step is to decide whether you want horizontal or vertical stripes. Horizontal stripes give the illusion of a larger room, while vertical stripes give the illusion of height.

Step 2: Go two-tone

Let's try vertical tone-on-tone stripes. Paint a base coat on the walls. The color of this coat is actually important because this color will be the color of one of the stripes.

Step 3: Make measurements

Once you have given the base coat time to dry, it's time to measure. First, measure the wall, starting from the corner that is least likely to be seen once the room is complete. Then divide the wall in sections ranging anywhere from 4 inches to 12 inches (the recommended width of stripes).

Step 4: Use tape

After measuring the wall, place a strip of tape across the length of the wall so that you can measure out each section and mark the tape. Once you've marked up that piece, you can use a laser level to find out exactly where you place your vertical strips of tape after pulling back the reference strip of tape.

Step 5: Add the paint

Once all the strips of tape are in place, use something with a flat edge to seal the tape against the wall. Now, you are ready to paint. Make sure to cover each striped area with paint. When you have finished painting, remove the tape and enjoy your creation!